Art Integrated Learning

LAST LESSON

• NAME - DEEPANSHI
• CLASS - { XII } H
• ROLL - 29
 Alphonse Daudet (Author)

• Alphonse is considered one of the most iconic names of French literature. Unlike many
famous writers in world history, he wasn’t very well educated. He wrote his first novel at the
age of 14 . His works drew inspiration from experiences of his life. His works ‘Trente & The
Paris’ and ‘souvenirs dun Home de Letters‘ seemed to be more like autobiographies.
Passed among the final decade, his name is very popular amongst citizens of France. A lot
of educational institutions in France have been named after this famous writer. Alphonse is
one hand ful writers who portray human emotions in a very realistic manner.
 Franz (The Monsieur Hamel
Narrator)

Old Hauser

Prussian soliders.
 • Franz is the story’s protagonist and narrator. A young
Franz ( The student at a school in Alsace, which Germany annexed from
Narrator ) France during the Franco-prussian war of 1870. Franz
often skips school and is negligent about his studies. One
day he arrives at his school and get to know that France will
no longer be taught there after and order sent down from
Berlin to occupying Purssian froces. Franz regrets that he
didn’t pay better attention to his lesson when he had the
chance. Later in the story his attitude changes as he
understands the importance of his own language.
Prussian Soilders
• For occupying the Prussian power, which has
invaded the French regin of Alsce-Lorrain and
claimed it for Prussian ( the consisting of Germany,
Poland and parts of Austria). Franz passes the
soilders the soldiers doing their drills as he hurries to
school in the morning by the trumpet call of the
soilders returing from their exercise.
 • M. Hamel is the school master of a small village
school in the French regin of Alsce-Lorrain. He is stern
Monsieur Hamel and intimidating to his pupils, among them the narrator
of the story, Franz. He has been teaching at the school
for 40 years. In his classroom, he carries a ruler which
he raps against his table threatening to. On the day the
story is set, he is dressed in his best finery: a green coat,
a shirt with frills and a silk cap – clothes reserved for
special occasions. Despite his frightening demeanor, he
also has a gentler side, revealed on the day that he
announces to those gathered in the classroom that
Prussian authorities have banned the teaching of
French in the school of Alsace-Lorraine. On the day of
the last lesson, he not only revealed his empathy and
kindness, but also his dignity and pariotism, lecturing
the gatherd crowd on the importance of protecting their
language and culture in the face of foreign occupation.
 • One of the elder village who gathers with the
Old Hauser children in M. Hemle,s classroom to hear the Last
lesson. He brings his ola primer, an elementary
reading textbook, with him to the class, and uses it to
help the youngest students read their letters. Likes the
other villagers and school children, including the
story’s narrator Franz occupied the French region of
Alsace-Lorraine, where the village is located, have
forbidden the reaching of French in schools. He cries
as he helps the young children read and makes
everyone else in the classroom want to cry and laugh
at once.
 Main points

• French was reluctant to go to school because M. Hamle was going to ask about participles and
he didn’t know a single word about them
• The atmosphere outside was more tempting than the rule for participles
• For the last two years, the people of Alsace-Lorraine had all their bad news from bulletin board
• When franz was passing by the town hall, he was called after by watcher, the blacksmith who
told him not to hurry
• When frenz reached M. Hamle’s littil school, there was an unusual silence. It was like Sunday
morning
• M. Hamle was wearing his beautiful green coat, a frilled shirt and a slik hat all embroidered
over
 Main points

• The back benchers were occupied by the village elders

• The last lesson is set in the day of the Franco-prussian war (1870-1871) in which French was
defeated by parssia led by Bismarck. In this story the French district of Alsace-Lorraine have
passed into parssian hands.
The Story begins with Franz‘s unwillingness to go to school as he was afraid of being scolded by his
teacher M. Hamel who would question him on participles and he didn’t know even a single word
about it. He resisted the idea of enjoying the good weather and scenery, and hurried off to svhool.
When he passed the Town-Hall he saw, he saw a lot of crowd at the bulletin board but he didn’t stop
and moved ahead. On reaching school, he understood everything. The village elders were sitting on
the back benchers; M. Hamle was wearing his best dress and there was unusual silence in the
classroom. M. Hamle announced That Alsace-Lorraine had been occupied by the prussians and they
would be taught German from the next day.
It was like a thunderclap to Franz which made him change his attitude toward life. M. Hamle made
them realize that they all were culpable for their dereliction of duties towards their language. He
generated a love in them of France. He said that French is the most beautiful language of the world
and they should hold fast to it. He thought them garmmar, writing and History. It seemed as if he
wanted to instill every thing he knew in their minds.
 Theme

• The theme of the story is negligence of people towards their own language. The proverb
‘familiarity breeds contempt’ gets justified in this story. Through the central charaters, Franz
& M. Hamle, the narrator tells us how the children, parents and even at times the teacher
neglected their language. They happen to realize it only when the order comes from Berlin
that only German is to be taught in the schools of Alsace-Lorraine. This finally it involves a
feeling of linguistic chauvinism.